A CONCHOVALLEYHOMEPAGE EXCLUSIVE
Participating in the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument dedication held at Fort Chadbourne, Gold Star dad Terry Burgess spoke with ConchoValleyHomepage.com about his experience. His full interview is at the top of this page.
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For Terry Burgess, seeing the Colonel and the chaplain making his way to his house brought home the reality of what he had only heard from family: that his son, Staff Sergeant Bryan Burgess, had been killed in the line of duty.
“…on behalf of a grateful nation…” — those words, which Burgess tried to steel his nerves against, melted all prepared bravado as he broke down — “… and the United States Army … a token of appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service.”
As time passed, Burgess learned from others participating in Operation Strong Eagle III, that his son had inserted himself in between enemy fire and his own troops, taking rounds himself to protect his brothers. For that action Staff Sgt. Bryan Burgess was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal of Valor.
The Gold Star program has given Burgess “a reason to get up in the morning,” he said. “It is a way to honor my son’s sacrifice and let others know they are not alone.”
A movie project dubbed “The Hornet’s Nest” was create that contains footage of Burgess’ son in action. For a more detailed account of that project, please visit here: Gold Star Dad Searches for Meaning by “On Patrol” — the magazine of the USO.
A trailer for the movie can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/TheHornetsNestMovie/
